Review: Slasher Girls & Monster Boys by April Genevieve Tucholke

Title: Slasher Girls & Monster Boys

Authors: April Genevieve Tucholke, Stefan Bachmann, Leigh Bardugo, Kendare Blake, A. G. Howard, Jay Kristoff, Marie Lu, Jonathan Maberry, Danielle Paige, Carrie Ryan, Megan Shepherd, Nova Ren Suma, McCormick Templeman, April Genevieve Tucholke, Cat Winters

Genre: YA, horror

Publication date: August 2015

Published by: Dial Books

Source: Purchased hardcover

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Synopsis: For fans of Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Lois Duncan, and Daphne Du Maurier comes a powerhouse anthology featuring some of the best writers of YA thrillers and horror.

A host of the smartest young adult authors come together in this collection of scary stories and psychological thrillers curated by Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea’s April Genevieve Tucholke.

Each story draws from a classic tale or two—sometimes of the horror genre, sometimes not—to inspire something new and fresh and terrifying. There are no superficial scares here; these are stories that will make you think even as they keep you on the edge of your seat. From bloody horror to supernatural creatures to unsettling, all-too-possible realism, this collection has something for any reader looking for a thrill.

My rating: ★★★☆☆

Even a monster wants to be loved.

I was excited to read this because I love horror stories and this anthology included some authors that I knew! For these types of books I usually like to touch on every story and say a little about them, but honestly, that seems like a lot of effort for a book I didn’t love.

Review: All These Bodies by Kendare Blake

Title: All These Bodies

Author: Kendare Blake

Genre: YA, mystery

Publication date: September 2021

Published by: Quill Tree Books

Source: eARC for review from publishers via Netgalley

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Synopsis: Sixteen bloodless bodies. Two teenagers. One impossible explanation.

Summer 1958—a string of murders plagues the Midwest. The victims are found in their cars and in their homes—even in their beds—their bodies drained, but with no blood anywhere.

September 19- the Carlson family is slaughtered in their Minnesota farmhouse, and the case gets its first lead: 15-year-old Marie Catherine Hale is found at the scene. She is covered in blood from head to toe, and at first she’s mistaken for a survivor. But not a drop of the blood is hers.

Michael Jensen, son of the local sheriff, yearns to become a journalist and escape his small-town. He never imagined that the biggest story in the country would fall into his lap, or that he would be pulled into the investigation, when Marie decides that he is the only one she will confess to.

As Marie recounts her version of the story, it falls to Michael to find the truth: What really happened the night that the Carlsons were killed? And how did one girl wind up in the middle of all these bodies?

My rating: ★★★☆☆

I was SO excited about this book! Anna Dressed in Blood is one of my favorite horror books, so I was very happy when I found out that Kendare Blake was diving back into the more spooky side of things with her books! However, the book left much to be desired 😞

Best YA Books with... Ghosts!

When I read, I typically fall into this rhythm where I read books in the same genre or with a similar supernatural thing going on. And lately I've been reading books with ghosts! I am currently reading The Keeper (Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper #8) by J.L. Bryan and I absolutely love it! Actually, I love all of the Ellie Jordan series! It's one of my favorite ghostly series, and this inspired me to look back on some of my favorite books with ghosts in them to share with you guys! Now, I don't think the Ellie Jordan series technically falls into the YA genre, but I feel like this is one of those series anyone can read. Lol.

Review: Girl of Nightmares (Anna #2) by Kendare Blake

Title: Girl of Nightmares

Series: Anna Dressed in Blood #2

Previous book in this series: Anna Dressed in Blood

Author: Kendare Blake

Genre: YA, horror

Publication date: August 7th 2012

Published by: Tor Teen

Source: Owned hardcover

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Synopsis:

It's been months since the ghost of Anna Korlov opened a door to Hell in her basement and disappeared into it, but ghost-hunter Cas Lowood can't move on.

His friends remind him that Anna sacrificed herself so that Cas could live—not walk around half dead. He knows they're right, but in Cas's eyes, no living girl he meets can compare to the dead girl he fell in love with.

Now he's seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he's asleep and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong...these aren't just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears.

Cas doesn't know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn't deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it's time for him to return the favor.

My rating: ★★★★★
I was soo anxious for this book...I couldn't wait to find out what happened to Anna! It was fantastic (though I have to admit, I liked the first book better)!

Review: Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna #1) by Kendare Blake

Title: Anna Dressed in Blood

Series: Anna Dressed in Blood #1

Author: Kendare Blake

Genre: YA, horror

Publication date: August 2011

Published by: Tor Teen

Source: Borrowed from library...then bought a hardcover copy ;)

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Synopsis:

Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story...

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.

So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn’t expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.

My rating: ★★★★★
"Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story..." Heh, I love this quote...It totally describes Anna Dressed in Blood perfectly!